Detail of a Marble Statue of a Youth in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2010

Marble Statue of a Youth
Roman, Imperial period, 1st century AD
Adaptation of a Greek statue type of the late 5th century BC

Accession # 26.60.2

The pose of this statue probably derives from a Classical Greek bronze erected to commemorate the victory of a young athlete. With its sinuous grace, it became an appealing decorative work in this Roman adaptation in marble. All the statues on view in this central courtyard are Roman copies or variations on statue types some four or five hundred years earlier, during the late Classical or Hellenistic period. While most of the original works were dedications set up in religious sanctuaries, the Roman versions were used primarily to decorate the rooms and gardens of private villas as well as the theatres and public baths that were important features of every Roman city.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.